Young faculty job perceptions in the midst of Chinese higher education reform: the case of Zhejiang University

Abstract

Chinese higher education is undergoing fundamental changes to meet the demand of producing high quantity and quality college students. These changes have significantly impacted the work lives of Chinese faculty members. This study investigated Chinese young faculty's job perceptions using four variables: intrinsic motivation, job burnout, job satisfaction, and turnover. The findings revealed that surveyed faculties had high intrinsic motivation, relatively high professional efficacy, and low turnover. However, they showed job burnout as indicated by emotional exhaustion and they demonstrated moderate intrinsic satisfaction and low extrinsic satisfaction. The study proposed that a healthy academic environment is needed for sustainable scholarship development.

Keywords:

• Chinese higher education reform
• young faculty
• intrinsic motivation
• job burnout
• job satisfaction
• turnover